A small, creeping herb with fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves that are edible and have a mild, slightly salty flavour. A plant of the brave coast. The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, with several leaves clustered at the base of the plant. The leaves are thick and succulent, adapted to the salty conditions of the coastal zone. The stems are creeping, rooting at the nodes, and often form dense mats. A plant that holds the salt marsh together. The flowers are small and white, with five petals that are fused at the base. They appear in summer and are followed by small, capsule-like fruits containing the seeds. The flowers are pollinated by insects. Native pimpernel is a plant of the coastal zone. It grows in salt marshes, along estuarine margins, and on coastal cliffs. It tolerates high levels of salt and occasional inundation by seawater. It is an important component of salt marsh communities, providing food and shelter for small animals. The name māia means brave or steadfast, referring to the plant's ability to thrive in harsh coastal conditions. It is a plant that does not flinch in the face of salt spray and wind. To find native pimpernel is to walk the salt marshes and estuarine margins. The salt marsh is windy. The pimpernel creeps, fleshy leaves bright green, small white flowers nodding. The tide comes in. The plant is inundated. The tide goes out. The plant is fine. It does not know it is brave. It does not know it is steadfast. It just wants to grow where the salt spray flies. A plant of the brave coast, a survivor of the salt. A few leaves can add a salty freshness to a salad, a taste of the marsh. The pimpernel of the coast, the brave one, the one that thrives where others would perish. That is its job.